The Stone Roses

Uniting the drug-fuelled hedonism of rave culture with the psychedelic pop hooks of The Beatles, The Stone Roses sent Manchester into a baggy swagger in the late 1980s. Beginning life as raucous new wave/punk throwbacks, it was the introduction of John Squire's chiming guitar melodies and Ian Brown's hypnotic vocals on the single Sally Cinnamon that helped define their new sound and change their fortunes. Debut album The Stone Roses (1989) became an instant classic, producing the era-defining anthems I Wanna Be Adored, Waterfall and I Am The Resurrection and culminating in a legendary open-air gig at Spike Island, Widnes in front of 30,000 people. However, at the peak of their powers lengthy court battles stopped them in their tracks, and it was another five and half years before follow-up album Second Coming (1994) was finally released. In their absence the world had moved on and Oasis were now leading a charge of Brit-pop bands inspired by the Roses' achievements. As egos raged, Squire unceremoniously walked out, before a disastrous performance at the Reading Festival finished the band off in 1996.